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The Best Live Mascots
In Dedication to UGA VI
The Best Live Mascots in the South
Incase you haven't heard UGA VI passed away this weekend. UGA VI had a record of 87-27. He witnessed Georgia win 2 SEC Titles and win 7 bowl games. UGA VI was the winningest mascot in Georgia history passing the late UGA IV. He will be missed.
In his honor we proudly put a list out of the top live mascots in the south.
1. UGA-Well, you had to know this one was #1. Besides Yale's Handsom Dan I can't think of any other mascot to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated. A famous UGA moment was when the dog actually bit a player for the rival Auburn Tigers. Along with Bear Bryant there isn't another face we recognize more than that of the English Bulldog in Athens.
2. Mike the Tiger-LSU's popular Tiger can be seen on gamedays in his cage parked by the opposing teams fans. Mike is well taken care of and has his on habitat at LSU. The original Mike was on campus in 1935 and lived until June 29, 1956. He started one of college football's greatest mascot traditions
3. War Eagle VII(Nova)-Auburn's battle cry of "War Eagle" has confused many for years as to why they are the Tigers and not Eagles. The tradition of seeing the bird fly from the ramps to the field is one of college football's best pregame traditions. The story of War Eagle is a great one. During the Civil War a lone Confederate Soldier stumbled upon a wounded Eagle. He nursed the Eagle back to health and the bird would find its ways to many Auburn events in the late 1800s. During a UGA/Auburn game in 1892 the eagle escaped its master and flew onto the field and unfortunately died. Auburn won, and the War Eagle Mascot took its place in history
4. Smokey-The blue tick coonhound has been on the Tennessee sidelines for over 50 years now. The mascot has survived a kidnapping by Kentucky Students and also survived a confrontation with the Baylor Bear. Smokey leads the Vols out through the giant "T" each game.
5. Tusk-While you'll never see this Russian Boar out of his cage due to the obvious danger, you can see him inside it around War Memorial and Razorback Stadium's on gamedays. A couple other mascots preceded Tusks. One by the name of Big Red III escaped from his Eureka Springs, AR exhibit before a farmer shot him down. Ragnar, a wild Hog, escaped and killed a coyote, a 450 pound farm Hog, and seven rattlesnakes.
6. Bevo-Since 1916 the University of Texas has had a Longhorn Steer represent the school as its mascot. The mascots have had an eventful past. Bevo II charged a SMU cheerleader once, Bevo III escaped and ran wild on campus, and Bevo V broke lose and attacked the Baylor band.
7. Reveille-This Collie is considered the first lady of A&M athletics. She is the highest ranking member of the Corps of Cadets, and is even a Five Star General. Reveille has been on campus since 1931. In 1931 the a group of cadets accidently hit a dog and injured it. They brought the dog back to campus to bring it back to health. The next morning, when "Reveille" was blown by a bugler, she started barking. She was named after this morning wakeup call.
8. Rameses-North Carolina's Ram has been on the Tarheel sideline since 1924. A bruising fullback named Jack Merritt earned the nickname "The battering Ram" during the 1922 season. In his honor the school looked for a Ram. The Ram gained its intrigue during a 1924 game when prior to a game winning FG against VMI the kicker Bunn Hackney rubbed the Ram's head for good luck
9. Judge Bears-Joy and Lady are the current Bears on campus at Baylor. The name "Judge" has been given to all Bears at Baylor since 1974.
10. Bully-Another Bulldog mascot, just not as well known as UGA. Since 1905 a Bulldog has represented Mississippi State. After an 11-0 win over rival Ole Miss that year the cadets at MSU, the school newspaper, and others organized a military funeral to bury the Ole Miss athletic department. On top of the coffin was a bulldog pup who would later be carried off on the shoulders of the cadets after the funeral. In 1939 the original Bully was hit by a bus. In a funeral covered by Time Magazine Bully was buried at the 50 yard line at MSU's Scott Field.
In Honor of UGA we give a family member an honorary mention
Boo-This is the English Bulldog represenative for The Citadel. Boo V is the current mascot at military school in Charleston, SC. The Citadel mascots actually come from the same bloodline as Georgia's UGA mascots
Matt Barber
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